Jeb Bush on Health Care

Republican FL Governor

Leave research funding to feds, not state

Senate Bill 330 appropriates General Revenue funds for capital improvements to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute for FY2001-02. Because Senate Bill 330 contains an appropriation, I have evaluated its merits based on the standards
and guidelines used for similar appropriations. Although the Center provides outstanding research and treatment of cancer, funding for medical research is primarily a federal, not a state, responsibility. The state’s top priority for capital
expenditures for health care is improvements to county health units, and Senate Bill 330 does not further that goal.

My veto of Senate Bill 330 does not diminish our state’s commitment to addressing the important public health issue of fighting and
preventing cancer. In conclusion, the appropriation does not fulfill some of the most important criteria by which other appropriations are being evaluated. For these reasons I am withholding my approval of Senate Bill 330, and do hereby veto the same.

Source: Veto notification on Senate Bill 330
Jun 1, 2001

No physician-assisted suicide

Q: Should physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients be legal in Florida?

Ensure access for children & adults; Medicaid for immigrants

Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care, through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.

Provide health care to uninsured children by designing a children’s health insurance program.

Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.

Source: Vote-smart 1998 Florida NPAT
Jul 2, 1998

No physician-assisted suicide

Q: Should physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients be legal in Florida?

A: No.

Source: Vote-smart 1998 Florida NPAT
Jul 2, 1998

No federal pre-emption of employee health plan regulation.

Bush adopted the National Governors Association position paper:

The Issue

In 1999, 42.6 million Americans did not have health insurance. All states have been fervently working to reduce the number of uninsured Americans, to make health insurance more affordable and secure, and to provide quality health care at a reasonable cost to the uninsured. However, the federal government has also expressed an interest in this issue. Any action taken at the federal level could have serious implications for traditional state authority to regulate the health insurance industry and protect consumers.

NGA’s Position

Although the Governors are extremely sensitive to the concerns of large multi-state employers, the fact remains that the complete federal preemption of state laws relating to employee health plans in the Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is the greatest single barrier to many state reform and patient protection initiatives.

The Governors support efforts designed to enable small employers to join together to participate more effectively in the health insurance market. In fact, Governors have taken the lead in facilitating the development of such partnerships and alliances. However, these partnerships must be carefully structured and regulated by state agencies in order to protect consumers and small businesses from fraud and abuse and underinsurance. NGA opposes attempts to expand federal authority under ERISA. The Governors have identified the prevention of such federal legislation in the 107th Congress as a top legislative priority.

States have the primary responsibility for health insurance regulation. Across the nation, Governors are working to protect consumers and patients and to properly regulate the complicated health insurance industry.

Protect state tobacco settlement funds from federal seizure.

Bush adopted a letter to Congressional leaders from 53 Governors:

As you know, preserving and protecting the state tobacco settlement funds is the nation’s Governors’ highest priority. We strongly urge you to reach final agreement and pass the conference report on the emergency supplemental appropriations bill soon, and to retain the Senate provision that protects our settlement funds from federal seizure.

Many of our state legislatures are currently in session, and some have already completed work on their budgets. Therefore, it is critical that conferees reach agreement quickly on this issue. Governors are unified in their commitment to ensuring that the funds remain in the states and that there be no restrictions on states’ ability to tailor spending to meet the needs of their citizens.

We offer our strongest support for conferees to recede to the Senate version of the bill containing the Hutchison/Graham bipartisan tobacco recoupment protection legislation.